Been meaning to post this for a while, and the hangi thread just reminded me of it...
I've found a couple of references in early Irish literature to a cooking technique which has the side benefit of getting you a hot bath into the bargain. It's kinda like pit roasting, but instead of burying your meat in a pit lined with hot rocks, you dig your pit, fill it with water, and then use the hot rocks to boil your meat. Then you use the hot water and the tallow from the cooking for a nice hot bath! Both of the references I have are to cooking an entire carcass (deer in one case, horse in another) in one go. I'm a little skeptical about the reference to cooking a horse - eating horseflesh was absolutely taboo in early Ireland as far as I know, and it's in a description of a pagan "coronation" ceremony that just reeks of propaganda (I'll not mention the details as this is a family site). However, seeing the same technique described in two different texts makes me suspect there's something to it.
I'm not entirely sure if this is even practical. First problem is getting your pit full of water - if it's big enough for a whole carcass, that's a lot of water. About the only way I can think of to do this is to site your pit strategically so that you can divert a stream to fill it. Second problem is stopping the water from draining away - I guess a clay lining would do the trick. The third question is just how long does it take to boil a whole carcass, and how many rocks do you need to keep your pit-full of water boiling that long?
The tallow and hot water thing does seem reasonable though, especially considering that there will inevitably be a bit of wood ash invovled too - instant soap!
So, I'm curious as to whether this seems like a practical idea, and if anyone has heard of anything like this anywhere else...
I've found a couple of references in early Irish literature to a cooking technique which has the side benefit of getting you a hot bath into the bargain. It's kinda like pit roasting, but instead of burying your meat in a pit lined with hot rocks, you dig your pit, fill it with water, and then use the hot rocks to boil your meat. Then you use the hot water and the tallow from the cooking for a nice hot bath! Both of the references I have are to cooking an entire carcass (deer in one case, horse in another) in one go. I'm a little skeptical about the reference to cooking a horse - eating horseflesh was absolutely taboo in early Ireland as far as I know, and it's in a description of a pagan "coronation" ceremony that just reeks of propaganda (I'll not mention the details as this is a family site). However, seeing the same technique described in two different texts makes me suspect there's something to it.
I'm not entirely sure if this is even practical. First problem is getting your pit full of water - if it's big enough for a whole carcass, that's a lot of water. About the only way I can think of to do this is to site your pit strategically so that you can divert a stream to fill it. Second problem is stopping the water from draining away - I guess a clay lining would do the trick. The third question is just how long does it take to boil a whole carcass, and how many rocks do you need to keep your pit-full of water boiling that long?
The tallow and hot water thing does seem reasonable though, especially considering that there will inevitably be a bit of wood ash invovled too - instant soap!
So, I'm curious as to whether this seems like a practical idea, and if anyone has heard of anything like this anywhere else...